In our latest instalment of ITTN Talks, we caught up with Mike Shinnors, Holiday Expert with Best4Travel.
In this ongoing series, ITTN speaks to members of the travel trade and gives them a platform to talk about industry trends, to celebrate successes and discuss challenges their business has faced, offering unrivalled insights into the goings on of Irish travel agents.
How has 2024 been for your business so far?
2024 for the first quarter was shaping up to be a BUMPER however I found the second quarter a “difficult sell” with June being particularly poor sales-wise. Overall, I would say I will end up slightly above 2023 figures. I think the Aer Lingus strike, cost of living, possibility of a decent summer here, the higher-than-average costs for travel this year have all combined to “delay” people booking. And by the time they realised there was going to be no decent summer in Ireland, many were priced out of the market.
What has been your biggest surprise so far this year?
The prices of your scheduled flights with Aer Lingus / Ryanair to sun destinations. This, of course, was great news for the main sun holiday tour operator. Gone are the days of the €299 special offer in July/August and actual accommodation availability in peak summer months in the likes of Costa Del Sol, Greece and Croatia. Even if you managed to secure flights at reasonable cost, the accommodation was in very short supply. Again, another reason to veer towards the tour operators. The other thing I am surprised about is people are generally not looking for a cheap and cheerful. Even when there were some great value package holiday options early in the season, I found that people were not interested in the cheapest option! They were willing to pay more for a higher standard.
What has been the biggest challenge to your business this year?
Two things in particular come to mind; the Aer Lingus strike, of course, was a major headache. Not so much on an operational basis day-to-day (although I can imagine it was for some) but the media, in particular, riled the public up no end and really put the frighteners on people. I understand it is a major hassle with the possibility for strikes but every news cycle, every radio show, was saturated with the worst-case scenarios. Why was there no positivity about the plans we as agents and operators had in place to mitigate against this?
The other challenge I am finding is over saturation of options and information. If you take cruising, as an example, every day – free flights/ discounted flights/ free WiFi / upgrades/ drinks packages… The number of options is endless and with very short lead-in or turnaround times, by the time you have the “offer” clear in your own head, the offer has ended. I find it totally overwhelming, so I can only imagine how Joe & Josephine public manage.
Are you seeing patterns or emerging trends or destinations for 2024/25?
I see an uptake in cruise enquiries/ bookings for 2025 and also larger families and multi-generational families looking to tie down their standard sun holiday for 2025 already. This is a good thing. Greece is becoming more popular while the likes of Lanzarote will always have it’s supporters. There’s very little interest or enquiries for the USA, so far, even though we have amazing air capacity from Ireland.
Now that we are well into Summer, are you seeing more requests for 2025 or are there still customers looking to get away in 2024?
Pretty mixed enquiries today and it’s a very even split – three enquiries for 2024 and three for 2025. Still lots of people looking for October and February mid-term, as well as Easter 2025, but again prices are quite high. But this is not going to change, and I do feel it is up to all of us to get that message across to the travelling public. We all know it, but we need to educate them now.
On a more personal note, what motivates your travel? New cultures/ sun worship/ exotic cuisine/ places of historical importance/ pure relaxation?
I love to travel and maybe I am weird, but I ADORE airports. I am a bit of a culture vulture! I was so lucky to have visited Jordan last year it was non-stop for the few days, but my God, what an experience! A “flop and drop” to the sun is always welcome though. I am no “travel snob”
Where have you been so far in 2024, and do you have any up-coming holidays?
It’s been a great year so far for me. I started off in Costa Del Sol for New Years… Malta for a few nights in March… Barcelona & Sitges in June… Kos in August which was AMAZING and I was so lucky to have attended Eurovision in Malmo with the lovely Jennifer from Royal Caribbean in May! What a “money-can’t-buy” experience that was!
Also, I’m really looking forward to MSC World Europa cruise in October. I have never been on-board a cruise ship for a week before so that will be an experience in its own right. We will see after that what we can squeeze in before January 😊
What is the funniest request you have ever had?
I was working back in a rural part of county limerick and 2 young girls came into book obviously their first holiday (never a mile from a cow dung, I’d say!) So, after about a week of over and back they finally decided on Santa Ponsa. The day after they booked, one arrived back in and sidled up to the desk to me and asked if they would be sitting together on the plane. This was in the days before assigned seating I told them that if they checked in early enough chances are they would be. And then without flinching she said: “But you booked a vegetarian meal for my friend yesterday and I am not a vegetarian, and I was told all the vegetarians sat together on the flight!” I still laugh at this!
Taking Part In ITTN Talks
We are always on the look-out for interviewees so if you would like to take part in the ITTN Talks series, please email [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!
